It’s time to start planning what games you’re going to invest in this year. I’ve compiled a list of all the games I’m personally looking forward to. There’s going to be some games missing that you may be excited about, but hey, this is my blog!

I won’t include any VR-only games or games that are on the fence with a 2016 release date. The reason I’m not including VR games isn’t because I’m not excited about any of that (I’ve already owned a DK2 unit and I’m a strong believer in our current technology with VR), but it’s because I just don’t want to. If I did, 100 Foot Robot Golf would be at the top of my list.

No Man’s Sky (PC/PS4) (Trailer)
No Man’s Sky is a giant space exploration game from the studio behind of Joe Danger. This project is the complete opposite of what Joe Danger is, so it’s going to be interesting if they can pull it off. The key feature I like about this game is being able to find a planet that’s never been discovered, scan all of it’s details including plant and monster life, but also name it whatever you want. I plan on visiting Butt Planet as much as I can.

It’s the end of the year which means it’s time for everyone’s game of the year announcements. 2015 was a really good year for gamers.

1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt: This took me 5 months to complete, but the ending was totally worth it. The Witcher series has always had a nice touch on bringing a “realistic” (for fantasy) world to life with characters and side stories. The Witcher III just brings more of that and in a fantastic open-world. Every main story quest along with every side quest felt well thought out. I could only imagine their storyboard and how that looked. The graphics are great, and the voice acting just brought each character to life. There were performance hick-ups and weird bugs (like the endless loading bugs from launch), but a fantastic experience all-around. It’s one of the few video games my wife has asked me to play through with her instead of watching a movie or TV show with her.

2. Bloodborne: From Software makes another incredibly hard action role-playing game set in a cool world that’s full of fast moving creatures and sweat triggering bosses. I’m a decent enough fan of the Souls games so this was going to be a sleeper hit for me. Only after playing this did I really notice how slow and clunky Souls games feel. This is definitely the best playing From Software game to date.

3. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: This could have easily been my game of the year if the game was actually complete. The gameplay is top-notch and a blast to play. It’s so good that you easily forget you’re spending a good chunk of chapter 2 doing the same missions you did before just on a harder difficulty.

4. Batman: Arkham Knight: I really enjoyed the previous entries and this was a bigger version of that. The combat felt great and the world felt a lot darker (thanks to that Mature rating — finally!). While this is clearly an unpopular opinion on the internet, I enjoyed the tank sequences a lot too. It’s one of those games I used to sit back and just take in the world.

5. Rocket League: This was an unexpected smash hit among my friends and myself. Take soccer and throw in some RC cars that do stunts. It’s a simple game that ended up being one of my most played multiplayer games of this year. It’s rare that I go out and buy DLC just to support them (since the PS4 version was free for Plus members), but I did just that.

6. Super Mario Maker: Who doesn’t enjoy 2D (or 2.5D) platforming with Mario physics? Being able to make and remake maps for 4 different Super Mario eras is great. It’s the perfect game to play when you don’t even want to play a game. And it’s the first game I’ve played that has a very practical reason to have a screen.

7. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege: I ate major crow on this game. I wasn’t a big fan of the first beta I played. I liked parts of it, but the terrorist hunt (one of my favorite modes from Rainbow Six Vegas) was really broken and had some ridiculously mediocre A.I.. I didn’t think I would ever play the final release. Now, this is my go to multiplayer game. It’s a party game so if you don’t have friends playing with you, I don’t know how much you’re going to enjoy it. But I have a rotating set of friends playing with me anytime I want now. It’s one of the few games that has lasting appeal with limited maps, limited customization (compared to Vegas), and lacking a campaign. As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve had more fun than I could have imagined with it.

8. Mortal Kombat X: This game doesn’t hold a candle to how great Mortal Kombat 9 rebooted the MK series, but it’s still a great game. I know the PC version had some issues at launch, but once you were in the game it was a bloody good time. The first month this was out, I had played over 300 matches. That’s a lot of MK time for me since I suck at fighting games. And that gore. Whew!

9. Transformers: Devastation: A Platinum game based on the Transformers from the 80s? Sure. And graphics that look very 80s anime? Sure. This was kind of a shocking hit for me because I’m not the biggest Transformers fan.

10. Dying Light: I wasn’t a big fan of Dead Island, but who was? But Dying Light took the things I didn’t like, threw them in the trash, and made a game I think they originally wanted to make. A lot bigger open world to parkour through, less jank, and a great co-op experience. There was still the problem with having limitations on weapons you built, but they lasted a lot longer than in the Dead Island games.

Honorable Mentions:

* Yakuza 5 – It only missed my list because this game came out in 2013 technically.

* Axiom Verge – Really close to being on my list. It would be in the top 15, for sure.

* Tales of Borderlands – I haven’t finished the entire thing yet, but I enjoyed the first few chapters.

As much as I played vanilla Destiny, I never got around to writing my review for the original game. I was very optimistic with the original game and found there to be enough content overall, even though I didn’t really know what was going on in the campaign nor cared. The gunplay is terrific. The graphics are beautiful with a locked frame rate and a beautiful aesthetic sci-fi setting. The music is great. And the drop-in/drop-out co-op experience works seamlessly. And the deathmatch… err, PVP… combines a familiar feeling of Halo’s deathmatch with special abilities depending on your character class. The game is built around you playing with friends and that’s a good experience in its own. Destiny’s weakness came from grinding equipment, limited content, a story that’s generic on the surface, and rewards that never felt too rewarding. But I certainly wouldn’t say the core game is unacceptable as it was my most played game of 2014.

I only completed one game last night-Batman: Arkham Knight-and obtained a Platinum trophy. Yes, I did all of those stupid Riddler “challenges”. And by challenges, I mean a total waste of time. I noticed once I finished a set of these puzzles on one island, the other islands were almost identical. It was just more of the same. But I did finish the game and I loved it for the most part.